The Last Avatar
by cambler
Summary: Set after Korra has died, and the new Avatar, Avatar Saishū, has been born. The only problem is she has no idea what an Avatar is until Aang appears and tells her she is one when she is 16. She has been living in an abandoned Air Temple with her mother and four siblings and has no real idea of what life down below is like, or how the non-benders have been treating benders.
1. Chapter One

The Avatar is the only being that can control all four elements- Water, Earth, Fire, and Air the Avatar is also the bridge between the human world and the spirit world. The Avatar is reincarnated as another bender after each life. After Avatar Korra, the bond between the previous Avatars was severed, so the question of whether or not there would be another Avatar arose between the nations. The next Avatar would be born as an Earth bender.

When Korra became elderly, something happened that doesn't happen to other Avatars- she became weak with her body and mind. She was the most human of the Avatars in the way she aged. Once the public became aware that she would be unfit to fight any wars the non-benders once again rose with anger at benders, even though there had been peace between the benders when Korra was young and well. They claimed they had been treated unfairly, that benders always claimed to be dominate and more superior. Although most benders looked at non benders as equals, the non-benders decided to take matters into their own hands. They began slaughtering benders as their abilities surfaced- they killed children. Benders fought back, but the numbers had become uneven in the last 100 years, and there were more non-benders than benders, and now the numbers didn't stand a chance of coming back as they had hoped, and the non-benders developed weapons as well.

Non-benders killed Avatar Korra, and made sure to continue slaughtering benders as a way to ensure there wouldn't be another Avatar. As the numbers of benders dwindled and they lived in fear, they prayed that there would be another Avatar; one that would live and help them live a life that they didn't have to fear.

Oma, although named after one of the first Earth benders, came from a long line of non- benders. Although a family of non-benders, her family stayed out of the war. They didn't believe in what the non-benders were doing, and since they were not benders and didn't make a fuss over what the non-benders were doing, just kept their heads down, they were almost never subjected to tests when a new member came into their family- they just weren't meant to have a bender in their family.

Oma's family decided when Oma was a child that in order to keep her safe, she was not to be around any benders or families who had a strong line of benders, and Oma obeyed their orders. Oma was 25 when the chance of a lifetime came up, and she got to travel the world and document what she saw. She was a journalist, and very skilled at it. She continued to obey her parent's rules on her trips until she met Gyatso. Gyatso was one of the last Air-benders, they were already considered extinct, but it was assumed that there could still be a few out there.

Gyatso was hiding in a cave when Oma found him. Although it was strict policy to say when they found a bender, Oma did not agree with the slaughter of benders, so instead she helped Gyatso. She gave him food, water, and helped him hide. Since Oma was on her own, no one noticed that she was hiding something- or someone.

Although they were only together for a few months, Oma and Gyatso fell in love. They married in secret by other Air-benders and tried to build a life together, but it soon became apparent that it wasn't meant to work out that way. Word went out that they found several Air benders hiding in abandoned Air Temples. In order to keep Oma safe, Gyatso sent her to finish her plans instead of staying and abandoning her old life. Oma was crushed, but agreed, and promised she would be back.

Shortly after returning to her job she found out she was expecting. She knew Gyatso was a bender, and that her child could be a bender, so she called off her expedition and went home, but she couldn't bring herself to tell her family. Instead, she hid her pregnancy for several months, and then one day she just vanished. She led a trail for her family to follow to a cliff, where they could assume what they wanted there. She didn't want them looking or waiting for her, but she had to go. She had to keep her children safe.

She returned to the Temple, but Gyatso was not there, and a remaining Air nomad remained, he told her of the horrific things the non-benders did and how Gyatso was slaughtered with the rest of the Air benders. Afraid for her life and the life of her children, Oma told the Nomad of her pregnancy and how she desperately feared for the life of her children. The Nomad told her of an Air Temple that was nearly destroyed when the fire nation attacked and never rebuilt out as a reminder. Only Air benders could get to it, as was meant to be. Air Temples have a mind of their own, and after this one was attacked it moved to a place planes could not go. It was said to have possibly opened to refugees when the fire nation attacked, but there was no proof. He told her that if she went there, it may open up to her, especially if she carried an air-bender. He explained that she may be alone there, but that the Air Temples had a way of providing. He took her to a cliff, the closest they could get, and he wished her good luck.

No path that led to the Temple appeared for her, but since the cliff was far from and town or city, she decided to live there. Her due date still approached, and she had no doctor or help to deliver, and she felt as if she had begun being watched. She prayed that somehow she would be able to get to the Air Temple.

She grew very large, and it became hard to forage for food and stay hidden, and soon she was discovered by authorities. She was in the woods picking berries when they found her. She ran back to the cliff, prepared to throw herself off of it in order to keep them from torturing her or her children, but when she got there a spirit of a sky bison and a man were floating at the edge of the cliff. The man ordered her to get on, and she did. They flew off before the authorities could stop them or shoot them.

"Who are you?" She asked, visibly scared.

"Avatar Aang." The man said.

"I don't understand, I am no Avatar."

"I know, and you don't have to understand, just know you will be safe in the Air Temple. It will be a sanctuary for you."

She thanked the man profusely until they get to the Temple, where he helped her off the sky bison before disappearing into the sky.

The Air Temple was damaged, and nature had taken its course, but with that there were lots of berries and fruits growing all over the island it was on. There was a lake with a waterfall on it as well that provided her with fresh water. There were clothes that had been preserved in the Temple that she wore, and beds that she could use as well.

There were still winged lemur on the island as well as sky bison, although they were said to be extinct. However, there were no people.

She explored the island and Temple as much as she could before the baby came, but after two week, it was time for her to deliver.

It was late at night when a pain woke her from her sleep. She got up and did her best to get comfortable and for the pain to subside, but there was nothing that would help it, and she realized that it was time for her baby to make its entrance into the world. She had only ever seen one baby born, and she had no part in the delivery, and it still made her nearly faint, and now she was going to have to deliver one, her own, alone.

After hours of agonizing pain, she knew it was time to push. Before she had a chance, a woman appeared in her room. She had a gentle smile and a gentle touch. She assured Oma that everything was going to be alright, and she helped Oma deliver a beautiful baby boy. The elderly woman handed her to Oma, and then gently cupped Oma's face "We are not done yet." She was right, with a few more pushes Oma gave birth to a baby girl. The woman set the child next to her mother. Oma delivered two more, all healthy. When both her and the elderly woman thought it was over, another contraction brought another life into the world. Unlike her other siblings, this baby didn't cry. She looked around the room, as if to be studying the world around her. She was very small and frail, which scared Oma, but the old woman just swaddled her and smiled. "You have 5 children now, and each is blessed with a gift." The woman said as she sat the last child down by Oma. "You must protect them, for each has an important destiny." The old woman stayed for two days before disappearing the night of the second, once Oma was able to help herself. The same night the women left, the names for her children came to her.

Her oldest child, a son, Kuruk. Her next child, a daughter, Kyoshi. The third, a son, Haruto. Her fourth, a girl, Yangchen. And the last, her daughter that was small and fragile, Saishū. They were the names of previous Avatars, but the Avatars were no longer talked about or taught in schools, so the only Avatars Oma knew about were Aang, and Korra and slightly about Kyoshi from her grandmother telling her forbidden stories. She didn't know that these were all Avatar names from two generations of Avatars back except for Saishū, each of them specific to the children's bending abilities.

Kyoshi was the first to discover her bending powers at age 5. She got angry at her brother, Kuruk, for splashing her when she came near the lake he was playing in, and out of sheer anger and force sent a boulder flying at him. Kuruk, the second to discover his abilities, used water to push the boulder off its path to his head. Oma was shocked by this, neither she nor Gyatos came from any kind of water benders. Yangchen and Haruto were the next to discover they could bend. That night while they were sitting around the camp fire, Haruto stumbled over his shoe and fell right toward the fire, no one was close enough to catch him, but Yangchen tried, throwing her arms out to catch him, but instead using Air to knock him to the side, and as he fell Haruto put his arms out in front of him to brace himself for the burning ground, but instead he moved the fire from his face. It became clear why Oma was able to get into the Air Temple that night, she was carrying an Air bender. However, neither she nor Gyatos had any line of fire benders either.

They tried for two days to see what Saishū bending skill was, but they realized that she must be a non-bender, just like Oma. Saishū didn't mind being a non-bender, she liked being like her mother, but her mother soon began pushing Saishū to the side for her siblings. She had to control them, and help them learn to control themselves as well as teach them what happens to benders outside of the Air Temple.

When Saishū was ten, she realized she could not just control Earth, but metal as well. Then she realized she could bend pure energy, along with the other elements. She knew nothing of Avatars, or that she was one, but she saw how her siblings stressed her mom out, and how strict she could be with them, so she decided not to tell her mom or siblings. She kept it a secret, but practiced with each moment in privacy, which she often had because her mom was training her siblings.

She kept it a secret until age 12. A strong storm blew in high enough to hit the temple, and it began damaging their home. They locked themselves in with the sky bison and winged lemurs for safety, but it began tearing the stable apart. Kyoshi used her bending to try and stabilize the earth, but she wasn't strong enough on her own, and she couldn't control the metal. Saishū knew in order to keep her family safe she had to reveal her powers. She ran up beside her sister and began stabilizing the metal as Kyoshi continues to bend the earth. Together, they saved their family and the animals.

Her mother punished her severely for keeping her ability to bend Earth a secret. She told her how irresponsible it was. Saishū had never seen her mother so angry at her or her siblings, so she decided to keep the rest a secret.

Her mother was never the same towards her. Saishū began to have to do all the other chores, and her mother told her she could no longer use her bending. Saishū hid it whenever she used bending from her mother, but she didn't respect her mothers orders.

She quickly mastered Earth; as it ran through her veins, and air came to her smoothly as well, but Saishū struggled to get past the basics of Water bending and fire bending, as they were foreign to her.

As Saishū aged she began to feel her ability to bend energy get stronger and she felt that she had a stronger connection to the elements then her siblings. She also began getting the urge to tell her mother of her ability to use the other elements, something her siblings never got the ability to do.

She had been on the fence about it, until one day after chores, at 16 years old, she went to sit at the edge of the lake and a strange man approached her.


	2. Chapter Two

"Please, do not be afraid of me, Saishū. I will not harm you. My name is Aang." The man said.

"How did you get here?!" Saishū gasped.

He smiled a gentle smile, "This was once a home of mine, too. You see, I was an Air Nomad, and I lived with many of other Air Nomads here, before the fire nation attacked and killed them. I ran before they came, so I could not help defend our home, but it was a good thing, because had I been killed, they would have killed all of the Earth benders as well. I am Avatar Aang. Do you know what an Avatar is?"

She still looked at him suspiciously, not trusting him. "No. I don't know what you're talking about at all really, actually."

His face fell slightly. "An Avatar is someone who can bend all of the elements, and they are also the bridge into the spirit world. The Avatar is reborn many times in many forms. You see, I am you too. You are me. It has happened many, many times. There are many of us."

"Then where are the rest?" She asked, feeling like she was being tricked.

His face fell farther, into a frown. "The Avatar before you, Korra, she severed the connection between the avatars. It is very complex, and since you know so little about what you are, then I doubt you will understand it yet. I can only connect to you because you are in my home and I am attached to my home, and you are an Air Bender too."

"So if I am this 'Avatar', what does that mean?"

"Listen, you should tell your mom about your ability to bend all the elements, tell her Avatar Aang came to you, and tell her we spoke. You are meant for bigger things than living in an abandoned Air Temple. I have to go, but we will be in touch." Aang then disappeared into the air before Saishū had a chance to ask any more questions.

Saishū felt she may have imagined it all, maybe she was sick. Her mom had never mentioned anything about an Avatar before when she talked about what was happening in the rest of the world. She decided to think more about it, try to see if maybe she had just dreamed it all.

She went home and began cooking dinner. She put all of her time into it, but her thoughts were elsewhere. As everyone sat down at the table and she brought the food out and sat it on the table, she couldn't help but to stare at her mother and wonder if everything Aang had said was true and real and she had been keeping it from her.

Her sisters stared at her as she stared down her mother, still holding some of the dinner plates instead of setting them up. "Well, what is it Saishū? Why are you staring at me like that?" Her mother snapped.

"Have you ever heard of an Avatar?" She asked, her gaze not coming off of her mother.

Oma froze. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at her daughter, "Wh… Where did you hear that from?"

"Avatar Aang came to me." Saishū quickly replied to her, as anger began bubbling inside of her.

"Mom, what's she talking about?" Kyoshi asked. "Who is Avatar Aang?"

"He was the Avatar before me. One of them anyways." Saishū snapped. "Why haven't you ever told us?!"

"Saishū, you are not an avatar! An Avatar-" Oma started, but Saishū cut her off by using Air to throw the main dish she had set down onto her mother's lap, then used water bending to bend the water from the pitcher and pour it on her mother's head.

"An Avatar controls all the element, yeah, I know." Saishū snapped, balling her fists. Her mother stared at her, anger flaring in her eyes. Her siblings sat, open mouthed, staring them down.

Saishū shook her head then quickly went to her room, packing some of her things in a bag. "Young lady, I don't know where you think you are going, but you are staying right here!" Her mother yelled from her doorway.

"I am leaving, I am going to the rest of the world to see what it is actually like." She replied.

"Saishū, they will kill you down there for being a bender, especially for being an avatar." Oma replied, a hint of pleading in her voice.

"What do Avatars do, mom. Be honest with me right now, because Aang told me I am meant for more than living here. I am meant for something. What is it?" Saishū asked.

"Well… I don't know much about all of the older Avatars, but Korra kept the balance between benders and non-benders before she aged and she also helped repopulate the nearly extinct Air Nomads, and helped with the spirit world and water tribe civil war, and helped the Earth Kingdom overthrow a leader, and Aang stopped the fire nation from attacking and created Republic City. Kyoshi I only know a little about, but she empowered women and taught them to fight and defeated Chin the Conqueror. The non-benders said we could no longer learn about the avatars long ago, so the recent ones are the only ones I know about, and Kyoshi was the last Earth bender before…." Oma trailed off.

"Before what?!" Saishū yelled.

"Before you, Saishū. My grandmother told me stories of her. Forbidden stories. That's the only reason I know."

"So, what, they each stop wars and help people?" She asked.

"Yes, Saishū," Aang's voice said from behind her, shocking her and her mother, "They help people, they protect human kind because it is precious. They fight for the greater good, and they master the elements to help keep the world safe."

"So what do I do then?" Saishū asked.

"You have to discover that for yourself," Aang replied, "but you cannot discover it here."

Saishū shot her mother another angry look and then flung her bag over her shoulder. "Then I am leaving." She said, "Aang, are you going to come with me?"

"I can't, the connections between you and the previous avatars was severed when Korra was an avatar. Although repaired, the connection is now with just Raava, not all of us. I can connect with you here, at the Air Temple because this was once my home, and because the portal is open between the spirit and human world, and I choose to be here. Raava can help you, though, and on your journeys you may find some of the other Avatars that have left the spirit world and have gone back to their homes as well."

Saishū was suddenly afraid, but stood her ground, "Then I will be back, eventually. For guidance."

"Saishū, I will not let you leave." Oma said, planting herself firmly in front of the doorway.

Saishū mad the candle on her dresser larger, and made the wind pick up, "You will not be able to stop me, mother."

Her siblings came to the doorway, "We are going too."

Saishū glared at them, she wanted to go alone, but more importantly, she didn't want her mother to be alone. Although angry, Saishū had a big and forgiving heart, and she knew it would be important for her mother not to be left alone, she knew it was hard for a mother to lose one child, she didn't want her to lose five all in one day. "No, you guys stay. At least for now. If the world is truly as cruel as we have been told it will be easier for me to hide than for all five of us to hide."

Haruto stepped forward, gently taking his mother's shoulders. "She has to go mother." He said softly, and then turned back to his siblings, "She has to go alone. At least for now." Haruto was a gentle soul, and somehow, without ever needing much persuasion, he always got his way when it came to his mother and siblings.

Saishū smiled slightly at him. She hadn't ever been in the loop with her siblings, she was always at the back of the pack, and often left behind, she was the outcast of the family, and never had one of her siblings defended her, until now. She gripped the shoulder strap of her bag and took a deep breath and walked passed her mom and to the stables. She could feel Aang near her, watching her.

"I've never rode one of these before, but I have heard it can be done." She said.

"It isn't hard. They are gentle creatures if you are kind to them. Loyal animals, but I have to say, it doesn't seem like your type of animal." Aang replied as he gently stroked the Sky Bison.

"Honestly, I hate flying. I have done it using air, but it's terrifying each time." Saishū replied.

Aang laughed, "Well, then don't take a Sky Bison if you will only have it walk. Follow me." Aang took Saishū to a hidden temple where he instructed her on how to open it by bending air. Inside were many Air Nomad tools. Aang handed her a staff, and showed her how to bring out its wings and use it to fly, "It is a great tool. Many Air-benders have used it, it helps augment your air-bending abilities as well. It was probably my favorite tool I had." As if riding a Sky Bison off the Air Temple wasn't scary enough, now she was going to glide off of it off of something made of wood and cloth. Saishū peered over the edge, her heart pounding so hard against her ribs, Saishū thought it might burst through her chest. "Don't worry," Aang said gently, comforting her, "As an Avatar you have great courage and wisdom. You can do it."

"What if I can't?" Saishū asked, her voice shaking.

"You _can._ " Aang said.

"Just be light, like a feather." Yangchen's sudden voice came from behind them.

Saishū turned around and looked at her and the rest of her family, except her mother, standing there, watching. She nodded and gave her a slight smile. "I'll be right beside you the whole way down, guiding you. I won't let anything happen to you." Aang said and smiled at her. Saishū took a deep breath and readied herself, gripping the staff tightly. She took a running start and jumped from the side of the island and held the staff tightly, pulling her feet up behind her. "You're doing great!" Aang yelled. She looked at the clouds all around her along with the many floating rocks. She weaved in and out, getting the hang of it quickly. Suddenly, she wasn't as afraid anymore. A large smile crept across her face as she glided through the air. After several minutes the ground below was visible. "You can go down now, you did great!"

She followed his instructions and quickly descended to the ground, as soon as her feet touched the ground, she was excited, "That was great! Amazing! Wasn't it amazing Aang!?" She gasped excitedly, and looked around for Aang, but she quickly realized she was alone. As she glanced around the wilderness she had landed in, she realized she had no idea where she was or where anything was, but it was getting very dark very fast, so she decided it would be a good place to make camp. She began setting out her sleeping bag when a paper fell out of it. It looked extremely old, so she handled it with care. "A map" Saishū said quietly to herself, "A map of the world!" She folded it up and put it in her pocket, where she would be sure to not lose it. She quickly made a small fire and laid in her sleeping bag, gazing up at the stars. She thought of her new found identity as the Avatar, and what it would mean. Would she be good? Would she be successful in whatever she was supposed to be doing? What was she supposed to be doing? As questions continued to fill her head, she couldn't help but feel like she was being watched by something, but as she looked around, she couldn't see any sign of anything.


	3. Chapter Three

It was late when Saishū was awoken by a rustling nearby in the trees, she sat straight up in her sleeping bag and scanned the area. As her eyes flicked around the forest her eyes settled on a small glowing orb. She squinted at it and quickly realized it was the glow of a nearby lantern. She quickly put her fire out and packed her sleeping bag up so she could hide, but a sudden voice shouting made her realize it was too late.

"Hey you! Stop!" A man in a uniform yelled as he ran towards her. She quickly, without hesitating used her Earth-bending to slam a rock into the man's gut, throwing him back.

"It's an Earth bender! Get her!" Another man yelled as he and 2 others ran at her. She had no intention of hurting anyone, so she used her Air-bending skills to lift her in the air. Gasps came from everyone below. "Enough!" The man yelled, "She isn't the Avatar, she is an Air-bender who used her air bending to move a rock!"

She couldn't stay in the air for long, and eventually came back to the ground. She readied herself to fight. "Please," she pleaded, "I am not hurting anyone, just leave me alone before you force me to." They didn't listen, and they readied their weapons. She took in a deep breath and readied herself. "Bending is a crime, and the punishment is death." The man said.

"That's not true. Being a bender is a crime. Even if I never bended you would still kill me, even though I can't help it." She said, hoping they would realize they were wrong, but they didn't, they still came for her. She took in a deep breath and used water from a nearby river to knock them back.

"She IS the Avatar!" They gasped.

Before Saishū could run, they shot her with darts that quickly paralyzed her. As she fell to the ground, she immediately felt as if she had failed. She hadn't even made it one whole day before being captured- she didn't even make it through the night. Suddenly, there was a low growl from the bushes. She looked up just in time to see a giant panda run from the forest and stand over, as if to protect her. The men gasped, "Its Hei Bai! These are not his woods!"

It roared at the men, and they fell back, trembling in fear. It took another step to them and they quickly scrambled to their feet and ran from the spirit. Once Hei Bai could see that the threat was gone it nuzzled Saishū, and then pulled the darts from her body. Saishū's body began slowly working again, as she sat up, the panda helped her sit up. "Who are you?" Saishū asked as she pet the animal.

"His name is Hei Bai" An extremely tall woman said as she approached them. Her face was painted white with red above her eyes and red lips. She wore a green dress and had gold fans, she was beautiful, but bigger than Saishū had imagined any human would be. "My name is Avatar Kyoshi. I was the Earth-bending Avatar before you."

"So, then am I in the Earth Kingdom? Is that how you are coming to me?" Saishū asked quickly, excited to meet another Avatar.

"This is Kyoshi Island. Hei Bai has come to you because he wishes to be your companion on your journey, he knows this is a very important journey, and that you have no connection with the spirit world besides Raava, and no companions to do this with." Kyoshi said.

Saishū pet Hei Bai, and in return Hei Bai licked Saishū. "My sister's name is Kyoshi." Saishū said.

"Yes, your mother was guided in what to name you and your siblings, as they will help you in your journey. Later in your journey, and names are important." Kyoshi replied.

"What is my journey, exactly?" Saishū replied.

Kyoshi took Saishū's hand and pulled her to her feet. "Think about everything your mother has told you, think about what you just saw, how those men treated you. An Avatars job is to protect humans; both benders and non-benders. You may not know how, but I think you can see what your journey is towards." Part of Saishū was afraid that this would be her journey, she had only ever been around her family, who had 4 benders besides herself, and her mother who was not a bender, but loved them for being who they were, unlike the rest of the world was going to be. She had no idea how to handle this. "I can feel you are scared, young Avatar, but fear not. We will all be with you in spirit, me and all of the Earth-benders before us." Kyoshi said, and then with a bright flash, there were several people, all with glowing white eyes and in similar uniforms standing behind her. Saishū's heart pounded in her chest as she stared at them. "These are the past Earth-bender Avatars. As long as you are in the Earth Kingdom, you will be watched over and protected by us. We will do all we can to help you." Then, with another flash, they were gone.

"So, you will stay with me?" Saishū asked.

"Not exactly, but we will be near. We are still spirits. But, before I go, I will tell you, Ba Sing Se is still one of the safest places for any type of refugee. You should go there, you will find a Master of Earth bending there that will be willing to help you. You can find it on your map, you are at the edge of Kyoshi Island now, and you will easily be able to find Ba Sing Se, as it is the capital. You should go there as soon as possible." Kyoshi said.

"Thank you." Saishū said and nodded, tears slowly filling her eyes because she knew she would soon be alone again, with her newfound friend, but with no guidance. And she was right- Kyoshi disappeared into the woods. "Well Hei Bai, it looks like we are on our own now." She said, and patted his head, "but don't worry, I am the Avatar, I will keep us safe, okay?"

Saishū didn't expect a reply, but Hei Bai let out a snort and licked her cheek. Saishū packed her things and threw her bag back over her shoulder, the sun was beginning to rise and it was time to get a move on. As they began walking, Hei Bai grabbed onto her bag and flung her onto his back, and then ran through the woods with her. Saishū gripped Hei Bai's fur tightly as he ran, dodging trees and jumping over fallen ones. He was amazingly fast, it felt like gliding almost, except much closer to the ground.

It didn't take long before they were at a village. Saishū slid off of Hei Bai and they walked side by side into the village. They quickly caught people's attention, and they began whispering amongst each other. Suddenly, there was yelling, and uniformed officers began running towards them. Hei Bai quickly ran in front of Saishū, growling and snarling, stopping the men in their tracks. "I mean no harm!" Saishū quickly yelled so that everyone could hear. "I am here to protect you all. I am the Avatar- your Avatar."

"Ha!" A man from the crowd quickly snarled, "The Avatar cycle has long been broken. You are a phony!" Saishū quickly became angered that he would so quickly doubt and dismiss her without even giving her a chance to prove herself. She quickly calmed herself and stepped out from behind Hei Bai. She used her Earth-bending to pick up two rocks from 50 feet in front of her, which brought gasps from the crowd. "So you are an Earth-bender! That is just a sentence for death!" The man called. She then began using Air-bending to make them spin, then used what little Water-bending she knew to take some from a nearby bucket and began spinning them in her palms as well. She had to focus harder than she ever had to make it work. She then took a deep breath and created the life that was fire, and began spinning the flame in her hand as well. The crowd was shocked at her ability to bend all of the elements, but it exhausted Saishū.

She dropped them and leaned on Hei Bai. "I do not lie, I am truly your Avatar." She said, doing her best to sound loud and strong. "If there are any benders here, please, feel free and safe to step forward. You can come with me, I will give you sanctuary." However, no one stepped forward.

"The benders are all dead here. Long gone." The officer said.

Saishū's heart sank, she was way too late to save any benders here, but then she thought- "Okay, then non-benders, you don't have to hide if you don't agree with this. It isn't right, and I know you guys must know this. You are killing benders that have done nothing to you and who can't rightfully defend themselves and saying it is 'equality.'"

One lady stepped forward, "It is equality. We have all been at the hands of benders for far too long! They have oppressed us for far too long! Once upon a time, they killed non-benders for just not being able to bend, where was the justice then?!" She said cruelly.

Somehow, knowledge popped into Saishū's head. "The Avatar stopped that. She was a water-bender, not that you guys would know that because you can no longer teach history, but she did, she taught the benders how precious non-benders were to the world, and how there had to be a balance. That is still true. There has to be a balance."

The woman scoffed at Saishū, "With benders, there is no balance."

"Wait," A man, young, maybe 20, stepped forward, "What if what she says it the truth? What if what we are doing is wrong? My grandfather told me forbidden stories that were passed down to him, he said the Avatar always brought goodness, that when the non-benders started this movement, the older generation was all against it because they understood."

"She isn't right. She is a bender, she only says these things out of fear for her life." The woman said.

An officer took the young man before he had another chance to speak, "Stop! Why are you taking him!?" Saishū cried.

"The telling of forbidden stories is a crime." The officer said as him and another guard began dragging him away.

Without thinking, Saishū quickly bended air and knocked their feet out from under them. "Come with me!" She yelled, and the man came over to her quickly, "I won't let them take you for telling stories. You should all be able to tell stories and history without being worried about being killed. If you would like freedom, come with me." Once again, no one stepped forward.

"Just leave. The only thing anyone around here wants from you is your death." The woman said.

Saishū wanted to say more, to persuade the village to get on her side, but she had no idea how to do such a thing. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and the man bent closer, "We should just go, you aren't going to persuade anyone here." He said softly. Saishū nodded and they walked to the other side of the village and took a dusty road away from the town. "There aren't many benders left, and there aren't many non-benders who think benders should be able to exist, but there are a few, if you get them on your side, you may stand a real chance."

"So which are you?" Saishū asked the man.

A grin quickly flashed across his face. He stood his ground and began making huge parts of the Earth come right out of the ground and into the air, flying around them. "My name is Kanan, and I'm an Earth bender."

Saishū was amazed by his skills, she had not yet mastered Earth-bending, but it was clear he was close to mastering it. "You are amazing! Have you mastered it?"

"Pretty close. My grandfather taught me how. He was never captured by the non-benders, but my father was, so he taught me, just as his father had and so on. Have you mastered it? Or any of the elements?" He replied.

"No, not yet." Saishū replied, and then Kanan put the earth back where it belonged. Before they turned to continue their journey, screams came from behind them. "The village! Come on!" Saishū quickly grabbed Kanan's hand and climbed on top of Hei Bai. Kanan held tightly onto Saishū as Hei Bai ran with immense speed back to the village. As they approached, it was clear what the problem was, a large wave was approaching the island, and the village would be engulfed in it.

"Saishū, we have to run with the rest of the villagers!" Kanan yelled.

"No! You get to work on a ditch of some sort, I will try to control the wave!" Saishū replied.

The wave was approaching the island quickly, so they both knew there wasn't a good chance they could actually _stop_ the wave, but if they could at least give the villagers enough time to escape to higher ground, then it would be worth it. Saishū quickly began trying to control the wave as Kanan began digging a ditch with Hei Bai's help. The wave was incredibly strong, and it was approaching faster than Saishū could fight it off. She looked over to Kanan to see how the ditch was coming only to see 5 more benders had joined him. He smiled at her gently as they worked together, and the other villagers watched in shock.

Saishū waited for the wave to hit the front of the island, then ordered the benders to go, that she couldn't stop it and the ditch wouldn't be enough. As the wave came close enough to drop water droplets on them, Saishū's eyes suddenly burst with a bright white light. She rose into the air and began controlling the wave like a master- better than a master. She couldn't control it completely, and some of it did get to the village, but luckily the ditch stopped it. She managed to bend it back to the sea as everyone stared at her, both shocked and confused about what they were witnessing. Since no one has seen an Avatar in the Avatar state in generations, no one knew exactly what was happening, or how she was using Raava's, and Korra's bending and her own along with the help of Kyoshi to stop the wave. Once the danger was gone, Saishū dropped back to the ground, where Kanan began coming closer to her, with caution. As her feet touched the ground and her eyes went back to normal, she collapsed onto the ground. Kanan quickly ran up to her, clutching her as the other villagers also approached her. He shook her and called her name, but she just laid unconscious in his arms. If it weren't for her shallow breaths, he would have thought she was dead.

An elderly woman made her way through the crowd, "It is okay. Carry her to my home, I will help her." She said, and guided Kanan to her home.


End file.
